


The No Questions Asked Coffee Shop; Not a MtG AU

by Densiel



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, F/M, Gen, Jace is a himbo, Liliana is an alcoholic, Lots of planeswalkers, M/M, Multi, People are sad, Real Liliana redemption, and lots of underlying trauma that needs to be talked about, if canon is shit I will decide to ignore it, kind of, many planesalkers are baby, others are baby, the no questions asked rule is absolute, the shades are precious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Densiel/pseuds/Densiel
Summary: Liliana Vess, now hiding as Ana Iora, tries to stay quiet in Fiora. After opening a small coffee shop, she thinks that her troubles will be over and things will quiet down. Except that Planeswalkers have a knack to get themselves into diverse troubles and all end up converging into her coffee shop, before or after said troubles. No questions are asked. Discover how one of the deadliest necromancers of the Multiverse finally finds inner peace, but not without troubles.
Relationships: Chandra Nalaar/Nissa Revane, Huatli/Saheeli Rai, Jace Beleren/Vraska, Tomik Vrona/Ral Zarek
Comments: 17
Kudos: 31





	1. Prologue: Sow seeds

**Author's Note:**

> Ana Iora buys a house for almost nothing near Paliano, in a rather isolated location. Somehow, she makes a haunted house work.

“Congratulations Mrs Iroa, this property is now yours.” 

“It’s Iora. And thank you.”

The old man gave the keys to the purple clad woman. She still had an air of nobility to her, despite the humble robes she wore. The man looked at the bar and raised an eyebrow. Did this woman really expect to run this business successfully? She looked like a disgraced noble with only political skills. Lying, threatening and extorting. But she was also the only person who accepted to buy him this old, very haunted, bar.

He would come back in a month or two, to check if she was still alive.

The place was haunted. She felt it as soon as she stepped into the vicinity of the building. It would be a new departure for her. A quiet business in Fiora, no questions asked. No planeswalking for some time and staying really put. At least until Kaya, Teyo or even Rat (although the latter would really baffle her) told her that it was safe enough for her to jump to other worlds. That meant “until people really forget about the possibility of you being alive”. Well, at least she had a good deal on the building. Dealing with a spirit or ghost wouldn’t be a problem, although she had used her magic mostly for healing during the last months. Whatever, she could deal with it. If they were remotely smart, they would either leave or make themselves quiet. 

Once inside, she opened the windows and brushed some dust off a chair before looking at the key in her hand.

“Home sweet home I guess…”

She sat on the chair, and put down the bag that contained her most prized possessions, she turned her head towards the bar and sighed.

“Hey spirits, I don’t have anything against you. But if you attack I will not hesitate to bind you or bind you to my will. Let’s just… Live our lives without bothering each other I guess. Or well, unlives. I know at least one of you wouldn’t take this well.” 

A shade manifested on the bar. It seemed to look at her. She looked back and shrugged.

“All I’m saying is… We’re going to be roommates. You can have every room except the bar, the basement and my room…”

More shades manifested, this time around her. Their whispers weren’t happy.

“Fine, listen, we’ll make a list so everyone is happy. That’s how it works when you’re roommates, right?”

* * *

“Shademen and shadewomen and shadepeople, I officially declare the ‘No Questions Asked’ open for business. Or at least open to the public.”

The shades flashed their various cards, and most of them approved the inauguration with various “great”, “congratulations” or “yay”. No idea if any of these comments were sarcastic though, but no negative card had been shown. Well, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about lots of things like hiring employees, the wages and the security. She could use zombies, but zombies could be more unsettling and dirty than shades. She was used to it, but it would be bad for sanitary reasons. Besides, she was on Fiora. Ghosts and shades were more common than walking corpses.

“Alright, nobody has noticed this place except the delivery guy. Not even after a month of hard work… That means more time to train yourselves to make a good latte.”

The shades all got in the building, and Liliana followed. No one found this suspicious. But there was no one there. Whatever, if the shop didn’t work she could always planeswalk to feed herself. She was the only one who needed sustenance after all...

* * *

She traded her extravagant purple dresses for more humble ones, although the robes were still purple. The fabric was thicker and rougher, but it didn’t bother her. She was kneeling in the garden behind the property and taking care of the various “crops” they had planted with the shades. They did the coffee and all the cooking/baking, she did the gardening and maintenance parts. It was a common accord that seemed to work and kept the coffee shop/house standing and without any use of magic or violence.

“Still in a garden? I thought that your experience back on Dominaria would’ve definitely made you hate plants.”

Liliana rolled her eyes and turned around, meeting Kaya’s amused gaze. The ghost hunter was accompanied by a little shade, Berry if she recalled correctly. 

“Didn’t you read the sign at the entrance? No questions asked.” she snarled

“Well sorry, next time I’ll hit first, ask questions never.” shrugged Kaya “So, you got any clients yet?”

“No. I didn’t plan to have much anyway. I just want to be left alone and alive for now. Self-imposed exile for my safety, you know that. I guess that you didn’t come for coffee.”

“Actually I did. I was curious when I didn’t see you running or go to Paliano. Now I know why.”

The retired necromancer began to gather her tools and walk back towards the coffee shop. Kaya followed, still smiling, although both knew that her daggers wouldn’t hesitate to fly should anything remotely suspicious happen.

* * *

“You needed me for something? Or are you just dropping by to monitor my activities?”

“The second one. Also that coffee isn’t very good.”

Some shades raised displeased panels at Kaya. Some of them with rude comments. 

“Hey she’s a guest! We have rules here!”

_ “We have no clients!” _

“I don’t care! Being rude is bad for marketing damnit!”

“They look like a… lively bunch.”

“You can say that.”

There was a long and awkward pause. The coffee slowly cooled in Kaya’s hand. None wanted to look at the other, and they didn’t have much to say. 

“... Why coffee?” finally asked Kaya

“We voted and I lost.”

“What did you suggest?”

“A brewery. But the Accountant Shade preferred coffee, as it seems easier to sell. And more child-friendly. That’s stupid in my opinion, but then again, I lost the vote. We’re… Roommates now.”

“This is a nice place. You could really use some more… Life here though.” joked Kaya

“Please don’t. I’m doing fine here. Besides we aren’t great at brewing coffee yet, you experienced it firsthand.”

“At least it’s not poisoned.”

“Oh please, I would never do that.”

Kaya raised an eyebrow while sipping the dark liquid.

“Come on, I settled down, I’m staying quiet, and didn’t planeswalk for anything else than fetching materials!”

Kaya put down the cup and glowed a bit.

“I know, I was just joking. You can make this place great. Maybe focus on that for now.”

And she disappeared, like a ghost, leaving the cup behind.

_ “She didn’t bring the cup back to the bar!”  _ said the shades by raising successive panels.

“... I’ll let it slide. If there’s no one tonight, I’ll spend my time in the basement, wake me up if I’m sleeping.”


	2. Tea for two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liliana serves her first client.

Liliana didn’t really have a routine or fixed job in the coffee shop. She was just serving as the human face and voice of the shades, who were the ones really running the shop, even if it meant serving water to a thirsty traveller or serving a bottle to a group of already drunk people. Shades were strangely happy when they saw other people, and with her being there, the rare clients weren’t running away from the shop. Good. She wanted things to be quiet, and murdering people would do anything but that.

Of course, she was the one gardening and tending to most of the crops, she never had a green thumb like Nissa, but the remnants of her healer training were coming in handy. She was also the one going to nearby markets once every two weeks to buy supplies. But frankly, she felt numb. Even though she was free of Bolas and the Chain Veil, she was still a prisoner of what she did, of boredom. A prisoner of Kaya’s surprise inspections. 

At the time she couldn’t pin it down, but she was longing for a purpose. She had always been driven by something, survival, power, then power. She was dead to the Gatewatch and if she tried planeswalking it would just be like running away. For eternity.

_ “Are you going to nurse that bottle of wine here for long?” _

“No… No I won’t, Accountant…”

The shade slunk back and phased through the ceiling, back to the upper floor, to their “living quarters”. She had her own room, and some privacy. It was still more humble than anywhere she had ever slept but it was the only room that could get close to her standards. At least she had privacy and if she wanted to get wasted, she could always bring whatever she had bought at one of the markets there and drink booze straight from the bottles. The Accountant and Berry didn’t mind her drinking when she wasn’t doing something else at the same time. Arno and Tonio were opposed to her drinking that much, although for her it wasn’t much. As for Leonardo, Donatello, Raffaello and Michelangelo, they didn’t really care although sometimes they tried to grab her drink only for it to pass through their spectral bodies.

“Why are you still floating there? Technically the work day is over…”

_ “How much do you plan to drink tonight?” _

“... That’s none of your business.” she replied while uncapping the bottle.

_ “I’m worried about you having a hangover…” _

“You know I’m never brought down by such a thing”

She quietly drank her glass, wincing a bit when she realized that she had forgotten to let the wine get some air. 

“... Damnit Liliana.” she sighed.

She had to wait. Great. Then she was going to wait. She had set her mind on this bottle, and she was going to drink it today and enjoy it. That and also she needed some alcohol in her system to sleep the whole night. Some people used drugs, others magic. She chose her own poison. 

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“We’re…”

She glared at the Accountant. Why did it look like they were judging her? Then they quickly grabbed her bottle and floated away with it. Really? Just so she could interact with other humans? Without being drunk? And because it was supposed to be a coffee shop? Fine, she would inquire about what happens, then kick this person out.

“Yeah, we’re not really open. What do you want?” she said while opening the door.

The necromancer met a masked face. Wait. She knew that person. Wasn’t that another Planeswalker? Although there had been lots of them on Ravnica, she recognized that someone with this… Mask. Her only hope was that he wouldn’t recognize her, although she still had her magic for her and the shades would come to her help if anything happened, but she preferred to not use violence tonight.

“I saw your shop. I’ve been trying to find some decent tea and there are only bars open at this late hour.”

“... Sure, come in. We’re a coffee shop, but yea, we have tea…” she replied while opening the door “First client coming in because it’s a coffee shop and he orders tea.”

The client said nothing and went to sit at the counter, before taking a look at the crudely made “menu”. Liliana reminded herself that she was Ana Iora, humble owner of this coffee shop, and silently went to ask the shades for help. All they answered was:  _ “It’s one client, it’s just tea, you can do it yourself.”  _

“I’ll order one black tea. With some milk and sugar.” said the client, after a minute.

“Sure.”

The place was silent, except for the sound of water boiling and the shuffling of various wooden boxes, each one carefully labeled by Leonardo. She served the tea, then pushed the sugar box and a cup of milk towards the Planeswalker.

“What is-”

“Tea. With sugar and milk. Help yourself, I don’t know your tastes.”

He said nothing, then removed his mask, finally revealing his face. She said nothing, this man’s face was unknown to her although she could feel that he had standards and manners, like herself. It wasn’t a drunk or a random adventurer. He slowly drank from the mug, then winced a bit.

“That tea is far from decent.” he said flatly

“I’m not a tea drinker. Besides you come in when the shop is supposed to be closed.” she replied

“Urgh. You can never trust coffee drinkers to make some good tea…”

“Well, go elsewhere, I guess. It’s called a coffee shop here, not a tearoom.” she sighed

The Planeswalkers said nothing. The man sipped his tea quietly, and Ana served herself a cup too. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her tea, and it tasted alright. It was boiled leaves juice. It tasted like boiled leaves juice. What was wrong with that? Besides, if this man was a planeswalker, why didn’t he planeswalk out of here to get a better tea? Wait. What if it was a spy sent by Kaya? No, she could come in and check by herself. Or send this Teyo kid. Maybe it could be Jace, and the rest of the Gatewatch was surrounding the shop? No. Jace would have used illusions. And she would already be fighting against Chandra. Or someone else.

“...Is the tea the same around these parts?” asked the client

“Huh… I guess?” she shrugged “I mean, I’m more of an alcohol specialist than a tea specialist.”

“You should have said so earlier. Do you have any decent wine bottles here?”

She smiled. 

“Wait a minute, I have something.”

Finally, a good excuse to get completely wasted.

* * *

The shadowmage, Davriel, she learnt after some glasses, was there, searching for demons and new spells. Apparently he had problems back home and wanted to learn new things in order to kick the people who stole his estate. And apparently his prized tea cups, his special brew as well as his best suits. 

“So, you just want your stuff back?” she asked, not as tipsy as the mage

“Yes. I’ve been aching for a decent cup of tea for one week and I hate it when I don’t sleep in my own bed. There’s nothing better than home and it has been taken from me.”

“I can totally relate to that.” Only a bit though, mainly because she had room.

“Screw this, I’m going to go fight that annoying red half-imp. I just hope that he didn’t ruin the furniture.” said Davriel while putting his mask back on.

“Sure… Although, pay up. You owe me tea and half of the bottle.” He definitely was a planeswalker and she definitely knew who was screwing with his property. “If you want to get drunk again, get sure you have enough to pay and I’ll gladly open some bottles.”

Davriel didn’t say anything and tossed some coin on the counter. Just enough to pay what he drank. She pocketed the money and saw him exit quietly, although he bumped into a few tables on his way out. But hey, she just has her first real client. Berry happily descended through the ceiling and wiggled before her.

“Yeah, that’s a thing to celebrate.” she said while washing the cup.

_ “Do you already have a plan?” _

“Yes. Happily drink myself under the table.”

_ “Isn’t that the same thing as usual?” _

“Nope, because this is a celebration and no one can judge me because I’m celebrating.” she concluded while grabbing the unfinished bottle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be trying to update this weekly although I have no idea where I'm going. Don't worry, I'll try to make every planeswalker visit the shop at least once. Feel free to tell me which ones you want to see and maybe they'll appear sooner! Also I haven't read Children of the Nameless yet so I had almost no idea how to write Davriel, save for what information I found on the wikis.


	3. False Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New clients get to the No Questions Asked coffee shop, lured in by rumors.

“I’m not mad. But who did it?” 

_ “Leo. That’s his fault.” _

_ “What? No! Arno you’re a treacherous-” _

The panels had stopped being shown and the shades soon began to talk among themselves, leaving Liliana out of the argument, even though she was mediating it. Well, if no one cooperated, then it wasn’t her business anymore. Besides, they were grown up shades, they could probably solve the problem by themselves. She would only intervene if things got out of hand and they tried to eat each other.

“Hey, Michelangelo. I’m going to check on the crops. Come and get me if there’s an emergency.” she said while searching for her gloves.

_ “Sure.” _ discreetly replied the shade.

* * *

Small wisps of black mana swirled around the trees and the plants. Death magic was still useful, even in gardening… She was Liliana Vess, one of the strongest necromancers in the Multiverse. One who had lived before the Mending. She had led armies of zombies without effort, fought and felled demons and used literal Gods to kill an Elder Dragon. 

“And now I’m in hiding, using my potent magic to kill bugs and save plants… Drinking away my sorrows every evening… My friends are mute shades and the coffee shop is failing…”

She kept on digging, and continued talking, this time trying to imitate a deep, warm and manly tone.

"Well Liliana, you swore an oath and betrayed it. You betrayed everyone. Even Bolas. You had a hand in saving the Multiverse. But at what cost?" 

"We helped you. I begged you to stop. I loved you! Why did you keep on doing this? Why was I such an idiot for believing in you?" The tone was still deep, but less warm and more nervous.

"Why are you still alive? Why did he give his life for you? Did you deserve it?" A younger, energetic and feminine tone.

"How long will you hold it until you ravage something again? Whether you want it or not, even if it's helpful, you always go against what is supposed to be…" A tired and stern tone.

Liliana stopped imitating the voices of her former friends, realising that the hole she was digging was far too deep than what was needed. 

“Serra’s Grace... I’m losing my mind…”

Gently pushing the excess of soil back in the hole, she went to sit under one of the trees that were used as a natural barrier for the property’s domain. The trees were far from the shop, numerous and packed. Technically, the trees belonged to the forest nearby, but her property’s line went a bit into it. She didn’t bother exploring further than what was deemed necessary to make the garden. It had been easy to drain the lifeforce of the wild, overgrown vegetation, and the shades had disposed of the garbage. Setting up the whole thing hadn’t been easy, especially without much magic. No zombies and no skeletons. She could only kill insects. Staying put was something she wasn’t used to, yet taking care of the garden, serving the rare customers that came in, hanging out with the shades and drinking to drown her sorrows was now the thing she did every day. 

Michelangelo came barreling toward her, waving his notepad.

“Michelangelo. Calm down, give me the notepad.”

_ “Clients! Strange ones! They’re three!” _

“Everyone is strange to you. Alright, I’ll take care of that. If they order coffee, you all know what to do!”

* * *

When she entered the coffee area of the building, Liliana groaned internally. Her three clients weren’t making trouble, but their identity was more problematic than that time with Davriel. There were a lot of Planeswalkers in the Multiverse, but not all of them knew about Liliana Vess the Dreadhorde General, despite the “War of the Spark”, that lasted just a day.

But sitting at the counter were Narset, Sarkhan Vol and Tamiyo. Chatting about their latest adventures, including Tamiyo’s children, Sarkhan’s study of Ravnican dragons and Narset’s stories about a world of strange creatures.

“Huh hi. I’m Ana, at your service.”

Three to one. If things went bad, she would lose. She knew about Tamiyo and Sarkhan’s abilities. One had sealed Emrakul in Innistrad’s moon, the other could turn into a dragon and had escaped from Bolas’ clutches before… Well, before things became messier. And they both knew her face.

“So you… You know what to order?”

“I’ll take a tea.” said Tamiyo.

“I’ll get a coffee.” 

“The strongest drink you have?” asked Sarkhan

“One tea, one coffee… And we’re a coffee shop, so no alcohol. You want our most bitter brew?” No alcohol for a man who could turn into a dragon and probably hated her guts.

“... He wants the spicy hot chocolate.” said Narset, shrugging. “But make it super spicy. With lots of cinnamon. Please.”

“Sure, I’ll get to that.” Said Liliana, before going in the back of the shop and shutting the door behind her. The shades glared at her.

“What? Arno, you go get the spices since the cupboard is too high. Berry, you make the coffee, Leonardo, try to see if there’s still milk despite what you all pulled earlier. Tonio, I trust you on the hot chocolate, I’m doing the tea. The rest of you, keep an eye on things, inside and outside. Come on, we’ve got clients and the sooner they’re gone, the better I’ll feel.”

* * *

“So… Is this place supposed to be haunted? The only haunting thing here is the spooky looking forest. Not the house… Besides, it’s a coffee shop,” said Narset, visibly disappointed

“Strange, the rumors said that the place was abandoned and full of raging shades and spirits. It’s… A disappointing discovery to see it inhabited and not haunted at all.”

“I wonder if dragons can have shades or spirits… Well, Ugin is a Spirit Dragon, but do you think that other dragons get to that status?” wondered Sarkhan. 

“Technically, zombie dragons exist. But they don’t seem to have any kind of soul left in them. I’ve seen some, I can show you that scroll if you want. I must have it somewhere in my bag. Well, while waiting for drinks, I should fill the scroll reserved to this place, let me see…” said the Moonfolk while rummaging through her bag for scrolls and a brush.

“Hey Tamiyo, wouldn’t it be better to wait until we finish drinking?” interrupted Narset “It would be bad if something destroyed your notes by accident. Even though your journals and scrolls are waterproof...”

“... I must find why this place was said to be haunted. And all of the sources were positive on that. No one said anything about someone living here, nor about a coffee shop. That’s suspicious.”

“Maybe the rumors made it seem bigger than what it was. Or nobody bothered checking out the place and maybe someone got rid of the spirits? The best person to ask would be this woman.” shrugged Sarkhan “After all she seems to live here. Who else would tend to that garden?”

They were interrupted by “Ana”, carrying a tray with the various drinks. She put it down in front of her customers. The shades had told her that no one was suspecting anything, except their absence. Liliana would be having a long talk with them about how much of a reputation this place had. Or whatever they did…

“Here are your drinks. Do you want sugar and milk with your tea or coffee, by the way?”

“Ah, no thanks.” replied Tamiyo 

“What kind of person takes milk and sugar in tea or coffee?” asked Narset

“... I do. Some clients do too.” said Liliana.

“Ah sorry! I meant no offense.”

“It’s ok.”

“So… Are you aware that there are… Rumors about this place being haunted?” asked Tamiyo

Liliana wasn’t expecting that question. At least not from planeswalkers that knew Liliana Vess. But she was prepared for this kind of event. After all she had prepared herself to become Ana Iora and be completely unaware of the existence of any Liliana. 

“I’m sorry, but didn’t you see the sign outside? No questions asked. Well, technically you can ask questions, but that means that any member of the staff can refuse to answer. However, I wasn’t aware of the reputation of this place… Although I can assure you that one might have thought so when I bought it. It was a ruin and it definitely smelled like something had died in there.”

It was true. It wasn’t completely a lie if she didn’t say everything. Besides, she did find dead rats, snakes, dogs and cats in the basement. The shades were already there, though. She never asked them what happened and they never tried to tell her. It was a silent and mutual agreement. No questions asked, even within the staff.

“Oh. Well…”

“Sorry to disappoint you but the place is rather quiet. Nothing really happens, and I don’t like questions. Well, me and the rare people coming here” casually said Liliana “Well, enjoy your drinks. Tell me if you need another. I’ll just be here by the bar… The tables are more comfortable.”

“I like the bar. Hey, can you make me one more hot chocolate? With more cinnamon please,” asked Sarkhan

“Sure. Do you need anything else? More of something?”

“No thanks.” replied Tamiyo

“More coffee please. Strong.” Narset said simply.

Ana smiled and disappeared in the back. Once the trio made sure to hear the clinking of artifacts and cups, they whispered among each other.

“... She makes pretty good spiced chocolate… A shame that her shop is so… empty.”

“Let me try it!”

The Tarkir natives swapped their cups, tasting the other’s drink. Before wincing at the taste.

“How can you drink something so bitter? I hate caffeine… Even with milk and sugar I could never drink this…”

“Why spices in chocolate? It’s an aberration!”

“Making you discover coffee shops was a terrible idea. And why are you trying to taste each others’ drinks every single time? You know you’ll hate it.” sighed Tamiyo. 

“Does Ojutai drink coffee? Are you all Jes- Ojutai Monks drinking coffee?”

“I don’t know, do dragons drink spiced hot chocolate? You’re the expert Vol!”

Dealing with Sarkhan and Narset was usually pleasant, except when they decided to act like literal children. But for Tamiyo’s age, almost every planeswalker was a child in comparison. And she had children. She knew how hard it was to deal with them. But Narset was a member of her Story Circle and she was curious about Narset’s adventures in Ikoria among the apex beasts. Vivien Reid also shared some stories with her, but had been busy plane hopping after an incident that almost razed a city and destroyed a big crystal. She hoped to learn more and the rumors around this place were what made it a meeting point.

“It’s sad to see a place that makes good drinks so empty. Also she didn’t ask questions about any of us… This rule of ‘no questions asked’ seems to implicitly apply to the staff members too.”

“What do you expect us to do? Besides, the coffee isn’t very good…”

“The place seems decent enough and there are no questions asked. Maybe we could suggest it to other planeswalkers. It’s quiet, a bit isolated… A perfect meeting point.”

“That’s not a bad idea… Fiora is a rather quiet world in terms of multiverse disasters.”

“And no one really cares about using this world. Bolas didn’t care as far as I know.” Sarkhan shrugged. “And the chocolate is good.”

Ana walked in, carrying the drinks as well as a little bell.

“There you go. Sorry I had a little problem in the back. I’ll go fix it. If you need anything, please ring this bell. Don’t try to go without paying though.”

She immediately went back from where she came. Apparently, the problem didn’t seem solved yet. But such things happened.

“That coffee is much better. Bitterer than the last one. You want to try it?”

“Yes. Here’s my drink too.”

Tamiyo facepalmed, knowing what would happen again. But she couldn’t deny that these interactions between the two of them were a thing of theirs.

“So Narset, will you finally tell me about Ikoria?”

“They have all sorts of creatures, big, small… They mutate constantly. Also, I have seen some of the cutest dragons in the Multiverse.”

“Cute dragons?” asked Sarkhan skeptically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, college is kicking my ass, but with the holidays I'll have the occasion to write more! And finally give Liliana some more plot things to do!


	4. A date and broken artifact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot might be thickening

“Well, that sucks. I can’t repair the damn thing. I could go fetch someone in Paliano or a nearby town but…”

_“We’re haunted. And you might have the creepy drunk lady living with deadly shades kind of reputation.”_ interrupted Donatello

“I don’t have a problem with alcohol. Also it’s better to have that reputation than ‘deadliest necromancer in the multiverse who quietly settled down and didn’t fix most of her mistakes’ reputation.”

_“Then why can’t you stop drinking?”_

“I can stop whenever I want, I just choose not to.”

She took a swig of wine to strengthen her point. Even though she closed the shop, she didn't know what kind of person could come here and burn the place down. The shades were more than able to defend themselves but still. Dead people were bad for business, except if the dead people were zombies or shades or ghosts that were willing to serve. Or assist. 

_“I want to die. Again.”_ signed the shade 

“... That’s not helping at all. We’re supposed to be open almost every day…”

_“As long as this thing isn’t repaired, no more hot milk. And we’ll have to get up early to make the coffee.”_

“... Urza’s balding head, I hate that.”

_“Drink less?”_

“Never.”

* * *

_“You’re a wreck.”_

“Shut up Jace.”

_“Not so mighty now, right?”_

“Piss off Chandra.”

_“Was it your ultimate goal?”_

“Stop that Nissa.”

_“Did I really give my life for that?”_

“Stop. That. You’re not even here. You’re dead. Or you’re out there playing heroes.” said the necromancer, covering her head with her pillow.

These whispers became frequent. She had run from practically everything and everyone. Yet she couldn’t run away from her own guilty conscience. How many of her actions had been driven by her thirst for power and how many by guilt? Even though she didn’t want to, and mostly meant well, she had found ways to mess everything. Maybe she should rename herself Liliana Mess. Jailed without chains, and even though she wasn't a slave to a contract anymore.

_“Clients.”_

“What...Now?” she mumbled

_“You drank instead of taking a nap?”_

“Arno, don’t say anything to the Accountant. Anyway, do I look like my usual self?”

_“You look tired.”_

“I’ll take it. Are you all at your post?”

Arno nodded. She rearranged her dress and went down to take the orders. She just wanted to go back to bed and take a twenty hour nap. Screw taking care of the garden today. And this broken artifact heater was also a concern. Problems that were before mundane and left to her undead servants were now things she had to solve by herself. The clients better get out of here quickly, or she wouldn’t hesitate to-

-serve them and have a half-pleasant conversation with them. Saheeli was supposed to be good with artifacts. And hanging out with Huatli. Oh they were holding hands. Were they on a date? Oh no, they were on a date. Artificer prodigy and dinosaur lady. 

“Huh… Hi, I’m Ana. Did you make your choice?”

“I’ll have a latte please.” said Saheeli

“One spiced hot chocolate. No sugar.” asked Huatli

“Ok… The artifact stove broke, so… It’ll take a bit more time to prepare your order. I hope you don’t mind.” 

She knew Saheeli. Maybe by half-appealing to her knowledge, she could have it fixed for free. Or even enhanced. All she had to do was not to raise any kind of suspicion, but for now she had been good at that.

“Really? Such a shame, I longed for some good chocolate…”

“Hey, I can still make it work!” protested Liliana “It’s just taking way more time to make things!”

“Wouldn’t that cause problems when you have lots of clients? Or orders?” piped Saheeli

“I… I’ll just make it work…” 

Liliana ran to the back, and slammed the door behind her. Her already sour mood had worsened with the arrival of the planeswalkers. Why did it have to be planeswalkers again? Seriously, should she put up a sign with “No planeswalkers allowed!” along with the “No questions asked” one? No. That was a bad idea. Planeswalkers would instantly recognize her. And bannings were out of the question if the customers didn’t stir up trouble, that was the rule they had all agreed on.

“You all heard the ladies’ orders. Everyone get to work! Well, take turns on the artifact stove, try not to break it more than it already is.”

The shades nodded and quietly went to work. The necromancer sat on a nearby chair and sighed. She wanted to go away. Maybe lose all of these ties, even if Kaya would kill her once she realized what she did. It wouldn’t be hard to leave the Shades. After all, she did so with the Gatewatch with whom she had spent even more time with, and also cultivated bonds… She had managed to split from them. Well, she was forced to do this but it didn’t mess her up completely in the end. Everything was relatively fine.

* * *

Arno poked her slightly out of her thoughts. He was holding the steaming drinks on a tray. The bitter smells of coffee and cocoa swirled into the kitchen, and she pushed the door, bringing the drinks to the planeswalkers, who had sat at a table, chatting innocently.

“Thanks.” said Huatli

“Are you sure you don’t want any sugar or spices?”

“I know what I asked for, don’t worry.”

“Ok, I’ll be by the bar if you need anything.” shrugged Liliana

The necromancer headed towards the bar and sat on the best stool of the coffee shop. She didn’t care about having a nicer stool than her clients. It was her stool and they had chairs. It was like with the shades. Her room was her room and her booze was her booze. No one was going to touch it if she could avoid it. Even though the Accountant had told her about the clients, she needed to have a conversation with him later…

“Hey, huh… Ana, right?”

“Hm?”

Saheeli was in front of her. Did she fall asleep? Or like… Wasn’t there for a second?

“Huh, yes.” she replied while rubbing her eyes “By… Ugh, yes? You wanted anything else? Or pay?”

She hated being woken up.

“We wanted to pay. Although… I heard the clanking of your artifacts. It sounds like it’s going to blow up.”

“What? Really? Damn… Paliano isn’t exactly next door.” back to the customer service voice, gone was the voice of the annoyed raven. “Unless you know how to repair this kind of thing, I can’t do anything. Hey, if you can repair it now, I’ll pay you and even offer you a second round. Everything will be free of charge.”

“Actually, I…”

Saheeli saw Huatli discreetly nod. Her cup was empty.

“I… Can repair that right now. Can we really have a second round?”

“Anything you want. Plus the payment”

“Cool! Huatli you pick up what you want me to taste!”

“Sure.”

“Ok Ana. Show me where the defective artifact is!”

* * *

“Ah yeah I see. It’s just a little piece that ended misshapen because of the intensive use! Here! All fixed up!”

Liliana said nothing when she saw the artificer use her magic, and metal bending to her will. She stared. It had been quite some time since she had last resurrected something. The shades weren’t bent to her will and she left them alone. They were fine enough like that. She was working on becoming… Something else.

“Hey, are you alright? You look tired.”

“Really? Well I’ll just… Sleep more tonight. Anyway, let’s test it. Go ask your friend what she wants, I’ll prepare your orders. And your payment I guess. How much do you take for this kind of task?”

“I’ll give you an invoice, just let me check on what my friend wants. You have your secrets right?”

“Of course. Hey, take that bell. Ring it when you’ve decided what you want.”

Saheeli caught the little bell between her hands and exited the kitchen. The shades phased through the walls, staring at the door.

_“Is she gone?”_ asked Berry

“Just went to check on her friend. I gave them a bell, don’t worry.”

_“Did she manage to fix the artifact?”_ shyly asked Tonio

“Yeah. I know her, she is one of the best when it comes to artifacts. And probably the nicest artificer.”

_“Great! Let me heat it up!”_

Tonio, among the shades, was probably the most shy of them all. Yet he was the best at cooking, making coffee and everything that remotely concerned food and drinks. Apparently, he had been a cook for a noble family in Paliano most of his life. But he had never said anything more about his past life.

She heard the bell and signalled the Shades to be ready for the orders. When she came back from the client area, she silently signed the orders and they went to work. People couldn’t know that there were Shades at work. After all, it would tarnish the shop’s reputation.

* * *

“So, that artifact?”

“It was just some old pieces that were worn. I repaired it, it was a child's play.”

“Nice.”

“You look… Disappointed.”

“That’s not bitter enough…”

“Are you… Feeling homesick?”

“Kind of… I miss Ixalan. I miss the dinosaurs. Even though we are working on the dinobot, I… I just miss all of this. Even the pirates.”

“Well, why don’t we go there next? You could show me what you call home… Maybe even Orazca? Well, assuming it’s not a war zone. And you’ll make me taste these drinks you love so much.”

“Real coffee and real hot chocolate. This coffee shop gets my approval for getting close to the taste of home though.”

“Hey, I’m already at my limit for bitterness. You mean that Ixalan has bitter blends and brews?”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll be your sugar.”

“Awww, that’s so… Sweet!”

A smiling Huatli rang the bell in front of a blushing Saheeli.

* * *

_“Ana, you should…”_ said Rafaello with caution

“I told you already, I’m celebrating the fact that we have the artifact repaired.” deadpanned the planeswalker

_“Fine… But if you fall asleep here, I won’t help you up the stairs.”_

“So what? I should’ve taken a room in the basement? What am I, a dog? Don’t worry, I’ll go up soon and finish there.”

_“And don’t ask questions about the various noises coming from your room?”_

“Aye. Wow, I’m getting better at understanding you. Thank you alcohol.”

* * *

“So… Yeah… Liliana might not be dead.”

“Excuse me?!” spat Chandra, almost choking on her drink

“Might! It’s a possibility! I just… Felt weird around that coffee shop owner.”

“That’s… Quite the accusation.” said Jaya “Are you sure that it was her?”

“I think. She was… Well, obviously doing shady stuff but then, it didn’t seem like she was plotting something. She just seemed… Lost. The coffee was rather good though, and I got it for free.” Saheeli explained

“They were three on her tracks. Rat, Kaya and Teyo, although I think that the last two will be easier to find. Kaya was leading the mission, so I think we should go and ask her about what happened.” suggested Huatli

“What if we just go and check the shop first? Maybe it was just someone who looked like her? After all, we can just ask young Zarek to lend us his special goggles first.” calmly said Jaya “Although we’ll need a good explanation. Barging into his guild and asking for the glasses might be… Counterproductive, no matter how much I want to do that.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t like… All barge into the shop though. And she knows us all. We know what she’s capable of, even without the Veil.”

“I’ll be taking the front door Saheeli. I won’t need the glasses if I look straight into her eyes.” interrupted Chandra, the tip of her hair quickly heating up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, the holidays and schoolwork swamped me. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Come yell at me on tumblr @lyxine and big thanks to @simic-simp on tumblr too for helping me out with this chapter.


	5. Day off, day oof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, stuff happens.

Liliana gently squeezed the tomatoes. These were almost ripe. Eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes… Tonio could throw them in the eternal stew. She was the only one who ate it, but he was a master at cooking and could probably make it taste better with whatever she would bring in. In the end, it wasn’t really difficult as long as she got to eat something besides dandelions. By the roots. Maybe she could ask the farm that she bought milk from to sell her meat. Or try to hunt in the forest for something more than a bird… And get mushrooms? Maybe. That was something she would have to worry about later. Right now, her basket was full. Grains and vegetables. She would take care of the rest of the gardening later today. It was her day off, after all, and she intended to enjoy it.

_ “Ana! There’s a strange person at the front door.” _ said Berry.

“Well… We’re closed, I’m not going to open.” deadpanned the necromancer “It’s our day off. Besides, I might go for a walk in the forest and, I don’t know… Grab things.”

_ “That’s good. Although will you be ok with going alone? Arno could go with you if you need protection.” _

“I’m good. Besides, if I’m bothered I can defend myself. Anyway, they’ll stop knocking on the door, let’s just get back in.”

The back of the shop was quiet without the shades bustling around, they were all freely hanging around the shop, phasing through walls and just enjoying themselves. All of the “Shade Gang”, as Michelangelo had dubbed them, had planned to go out tonight, do group things. Liliana was to keep the shop. 

Putting the basket down on the kitchen’s table, she was still hearing the angry person knocking on the front door. Well, more like trying to bust the door down. There was kicking involved. And she had no time to change the door. She shrugged and Berry called the other shades to hang out in the kitchen while she went to stop the mad door kicker.

“Hey stop that! The shop is NOT open!”

The kicking continued. And Liliana opened the door, and heard the kicker fall forward and trip into the main room. And this is how Chandra Nalaar entered the coffee shop. There was a fleeting moment of silence when the two planeswalkers stared at each other, frozen in position. Chandra, leaning forward to regain balance after a series of well-placed kicks, and Liliana half-hidden behind the door.

“We’re… Closed…”

“Liliana. They were right…”

Chandra’s hair turned to fire. Liliana’s eyes glowed purple. Then the door began to burn. The necromancer ducked behind a table. She had no zombies, and she wasn’t going to use the shades as meat shields! 

“URZA’S BALLS! WHAT THE FUCK CHANDRA?!”

“WHY AREN’T YOU DEAD?!”

The pyromancer threw a fireball above her opponent’s frail table, forcing the latter to get out of her hiding place.

“Stop this! There are shades in the back, that’s their home!”

“Whatever! You’re supposed to be dead!”

“That’s not easy when you’re setting the shop on fire! Stop that and I’ll explain!”

“Nothing you’ll tell me will stop me!”

“I have shades in the back! They are the landlords! Do you really want to get my landlords mad?!”

Her words were answered by more fire thrown her way. She focused her energy on protecting herself and finding a way to get out of this mess. She needed a good argument, and fast. Otherwise the place would become a smoldering ruin, even worse than Dominaria after the Sylex Blast! Wait, that was a bit too much, but if Chandra learned about that, she would probably take it as a challenge.

“Chandra stop! I REALLY CARE ABOUT THE SHADES LIVING HERE!”

“THEY’RE PROBABLY YOURS!”

The kitchen’s door went up in flames. The bar was burning. She had nowhere to run. She hoped that the Shades went hiding in the basement or outside. They couldn’t face Chandra, and without zombies, she might not be able to defeat her too. She needed to touch the pyromancer. Except that said pyromancer was surrounding herself with more fire. Sending a necrotic cloud in such a close space would affect her. There were too many hazards. And no matter what would happen, she would NOT use the shades as meat shields or tools.

Chandra angrily stomped in front of her. Was she really going to die now? Even though she had tried so much to survive and free herself from the contracts and the Veil? Moreover, by the hand of someone she had called a friend? Liliana sighed, deactivated her magic, and lowered her hands. Chandra stepped forward, still ablaze. Maybe death would free her from the emptiness that was filling her. She had been living on borrowed time for a while now.

“Any last words?” hissed the pyromancer, extending a palm full of fire.

“... Spread my ashes on Dominaria.” 

Chandra didn’t answer. She stayed frozen for a second, then dissipated the fire. Liliana didn’t move. She just waited, her expression betrayed nothing. There was a look of defeat and acceptance in her eyes.

“You’re joking right? No zombies, no spell… You’re really going to let me kill you?”

“Yeah… You’re going to do it?”

“What have you done with Liliana Vess?”

“She became Ana Iora.” replied the necromancer. “Guess she’s too much of a coward to do the deed in one swift move.”

“Shut up. Your shop is on fire.”

“Oh fu-”

* * *

“Your shades are very nice and very well-behaved.” said Chandra, sitting on the last standing table.

“They’re not mine. They were here before. You want more?” replied the necromancer while showing her the bottle of wine.

“No thanks.”

“Cool. More for me.” said Liliana while pouring herself yet another glass.

“I’m sorry shades for setting your place on fire. Also how are you not drunk yet?”

“I’m more than a century old, I learned how to handle my liquor.”

The pyromancer didn’t respond. Both were soaked, dirty and exhausted from hauling buckets out of the well and trying to stop the fire. Thankfully only the main room had suffered from their fight. She knew that Liliana had some standards concerning appearances and clearly, she wouldn’t serve drinks there for some time. The shades were floating around, still wary of her. She couldn’t blame them though. It was their home she tried to burn down.

“So… You were really serving hot drinks? It’s not a bar?”

“See for yourself, although you might’ve burned the menus.”

“... Saheeli said that it tasted good.”

“How many angry planeswalkers should I expect barging in at any hour trying to kill me? And how fast? I can count Saheeli, Huatli and you for now.”

“What? You’re suddenly getting more attached to life?” teased Chandra

“I… am too much of coward to kill myself. And a suicide would just… Be disrespectful for what was given to me.”

Both stayed silent. Liliana emptied her glass then poured herself another one, then grimacing when the last drops fell. 

“So, who should I expect coming here?”

“I won’t spoil the surprise for you.” 

Chandra rose from her spot and began heading outside. She had to tell the others about the shop and its owner.

“Hey, before you go, if you ever need… Something. I’ll be there.”

“You’re not a part of the Gatewatch anymore.”

“... Yeah. I understand. If Jace ever comes to read your mind, tell him I’m sorry.”

“You’ll have to tell him yourself.”

Flames danced around Chandra and left behind an empty space. Michelangelo and Leonardo were already separating what could be repaired and what would be used as kindling. 

“It was supposed to be a day off… Damnit Chandra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a chapter. I'll have some more time to write in the next days, so next chapter will come in less than a month from now! Come yell at me on tumblr @lyxine and big thanks to @simic-simp on tumblr too for helping me out with all of this.
> 
> Sorry I am having trouble writing Chandra, reading older Magic Stories is HARD. I can't find shit.


	6. Alone on Alara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liliana planeswalks to Alara.

“So… Shades, the closed sign stays on. The rules have been altered to protect the shop. If anyone comes, hide. When I come back, I’ll enter through the back door. I’ll wave that ornament, you’ll know it’s me. Is it ok with everyone?”

The Shades nodded. Liliana put the ornament that became one of her trademarks in her bag. Since she settled in Fiora, she has changed her wardrobe. The opulent and extravagant dress was buried under the floorboards, under her bed. For her, it seemed that she hadn’t worn this kind of clothing since her days as a novice healer, when all seemed… Better. Now she was wearing some kind of standard traveller clothes. She didn’t ask questions about who wore it before but Arno had brought her the outfit a day after she had talked to them about planeswalking to Alara. Anyway, with this outfit and the hood on, no one would recognize her. She could’ve gone to other planes to get some weaponry, artifacts and study recipes of other establishments, but if she didn’t want to risk herself in a world where she was known. 

She disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

* * *

“Hello traveller, how can I help you?”

“I was… I was searching for specialties. I’m trying to expand my tastes. Do you have anything I should try from there?”

“Do you have anything to pay? I’m talking about cash, no precious items. I’m not a dragon, I hate hoarding stuff.” answered the old man

Liliana dropped some coins on the table. It seemed enough to get the old man to stop being wary and smile at her. She still had her hood on, and looked like a normal traveller, but maybe her accent made her stick out a bit? Whatever, she had to walk to get there, so at least she knew a bit about the surroundings. She wouldn’t seem too suspicious. Besides, if anyone asked she would say that she was a Grixis native. After all, she was close to where the “border” was. Towns had been rebuilt despite the chaos and battles and things were still being settled down. Cults were still a threat though, and some had been roaming around according to the rumors. It wasn’t something she worried about much.

“If you like sweet things, I would recommend our homemade nougat. It’s a real hit with children and ladies alike.”

“And concerning booze?”

“... We have beer.”

“I’ll take these two things.”

It was a bit late for sweet things, but she didn’t care. She came to study specialties, grab a weapon, furniture and artifacts. No she wasn’t going to do it on Fiora, because doing so would raise suspicion on the plane she was settled. Besides she needed resistant furniture. Despite Fiora’s excellent woodcrafters, the wood seemed too flammable and fragile. Bant had some solid wood.

* * *

Her notebook was slowly filling itself. Now that the shards of Alara had been merged, the various cultures ended up slowly mixing with each other. Yet the Conflux was still recent enough that she could distinguish the traditions of each shard. Bant’s climate and basic food was the closest to Fiora’s, so it would allow her to get some recipes for Tonio. And being close to what was Grixis could be helpful as she was travelling alone along the roads. She had found an artisan that would make her tables. She probably would have to planeswalk a dozen of times to bring everything back to the shop, but she didn’t have a better solution. It would probably take her a week to bring everything back to the shop, with two planeswalks a day. Even then, the task would be exhausting, but that was a part of her work. She had signed for this.

“Who is this person you are drawing?”

Instinctively, Liliana hid the drawing with her arm. The innkeeper seemed surprised but said nothing and gave her the food. 

“Someone I cared about. And thanks.”

“You’re good, are you an artist?” he asked

“I’m not. Just a humble traveller.” she answered while putting the notebook in her bag

“Interesting” said the innkeeper, taking a seat at her table.

“Don’t you have other clients to serve?” 

Her face wasn’t visible thanks to the hood, but the annoyance in her tone was present. If that man tried anything, she would siphon his lifeforce in a blink. All she had to do was touch him and it would be over. She just wanted to eat in peace and resume the deciphering of local recipes! 

“That won’t be a problem, my son and wife will take care of the other clients.” he simply responded

“Really no, I'd prefer to be left alone.”

“Come now, I’m sure you need company. Everything screams that you are feeling lonely. What is all this travelling about, really?”

Liliana stayed silent and shyly tasted the wine, before taking a sip. That man was acting suspicious. Did she already cross into what was Grixis? Did she stumble into cultists posing as innkeepers? Or innkeepers turned cultists? At least it seemed that the wine wasn’t drugged. But for safety, she wasn’t going to drink more. And not touch the food.

“I was just asking. You’re heading north right? Cult activities are increasing. Being alone on the road is dangerous usually, but even more these days.”

“I don’t care about cultists. I can defend myself.” cut Liliana coldly “If one of these pathetic little mages tries to touch me, I’ll make them wish they were dead.”

The innkeeper rose, still smiling.

“I have no doubt concerning your… Abilities. Please, travel safely.”

* * *

A few minutes later, the necromancer was back on the road. She had no horse, as it would be a liability, and travelled by foot. Going from village to village, and from town to town wasn’t a difficult thing. If anything attacked her, she used spells that were intimidating enough so the attackers turned tail. So far she didn’t need to raise the dead, and hoped she wouldn’t have to go that far. 

The long walks were silent and uneventful. It was different from the times in the garden or in her room back at the shop. Here, she was sure that no one would come and ask her things. She didn’t have to mask her emotions or the quantities of alcohol she was able to drink before her sorrows were drowned, at least temporarily. Bar hopping was something she really appreciated though, as she could get drunk and taste new poisons. She was still doing her job, but without the emotional burden. Moreover, she was sure that she wouldn’t encounter more planeswalkers. She was travelling like a normal person after all. She would find herself a tree to hide in and sleep when night would fall. If Nissa ever caught wind of that she would die of embarrassment, she had an image to uphold but the feeling of height and safety in a tree while sleeping was something she had quite enjoyed as a child... 

_“Are you running away again?”_

“Stop that beefslab…”

_“Are you trying to break the weak-”_

“STOP. THAT. You’re dead. You’re… Not here.”

_“Yet you still hear my voice. Do you even know why?”_

“No. And I don’t care.”

_“You know, it was obvious that this innkeeper was a cultist. You might have been intimidating enough-”_

“But not everyone is as capable as I am. What do you want me to do? Go back and blow up his basement? Save the poor soul the cultists have captured?”

Everything around her was silent. Turning around, she headed back for the inn. Night was falling. Frogs were croaking.

“I’m losing my mind… If they’re cultists what do they expect me to do? Kill them?” sighed Liliana

_“But that’s pretty much one of the only things I can do right.”_ she thought  


* * *

The inn was silent. There was no one in the main room. Purple magic was dancing on Liliana’s fingertips. She slowly opened the door, and immediately smelled death. She didn’t mind the stench usually, but it had been months since she last raised a zombie. Gritting her teeth, she stepped in, and headed towards the stench’s source. She hated the fact that she was able to find the trapdoor so easily.

“... And so our Lord Nefarox may give us more knowledge and power, we offer him more vis. More lifeforce.”

It was a small circle of five cultists. And a dozen of faceless corpses. That was what she saw from her spot above the trapdoor. There was no demon. And she was too late to save these people. She should run away.

_“But you’re not too late to stop them. You caught them red-handed. You can prevent further damage. It’ll be small, but the road might be safer, at least for a time.”_

Liliana didn’t move for a few seconds, then sent black mana straight into the corpses. The victims rose slowly, and the cultists screamed. She didn’t understand what they said, but soon, the thralls jumped on them. She watched the scene with a mix of horror and disgust. Was that the only thing she was able to do? Raise the dead to kill more people?

She focused again when the innkeeper who had served her earlier threw her to the ground. Her hood fell, and she saw the madness and hatred in his eyes. He was taller than her, and probably stronger than her. He went to stab her. She caught his wrists. Both were fighting for their lives. But one couldn’t stab, and the other couldn’t concentrate. 

“You! You were such a promising one! But you left!”

“I’m done doing demonic deals!”

The innkeeper got free of her grip and lunged. The blade stabbed through her coat and pierced her arm. She gritted her teeth and pushed the man back. Black mana swirled around her uninjured arm and struck back. She couldn’t look, but heard the screams, then the moans. 

The place became silent once again, she could only hear her breathing. The zombies were downstairs, just standing. She felt the pain in her left arm and took out the blade. Hastily wrapping a piece of her cloak around the wound, she stumbled towards the trapdoor, ignoring the cultist/innkeeper’s corpse. The basement was akin to a butchery. They had cut the throats of the travellers who just thought that they would spend a quiet night. Quietly she stepped downstairs and went to retrieve a shovel. It was night time, she felt exhausted, her left arm was hurting but she couldn’t rest. Not yet. The zombies followed her wordlessly while carrying the dead bodies of the cultist family. 

Liliana said nothing and lowered her head, unable to look at her own zombies. Before morning, she would all lay them to rest, without magic. No help from the zombies aside from carrying the corpses and themselves to their final resting place. No more corpses desecrated and discarded. The only gift she could grant them was rest.

She didn’t know how much time passed, but the sun was already up when she flattened the dirt one last time. Her arms were aching, her back was screaming and she felt how wet her face was, from sweat and tears. The voices of the others were gone when she needed them the most. 

“I can’t raise zombies anymore.” she whispered to herself

The dagger was in her bag along with her notebooks. She tightened her grip on the shovel, then disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that it might have been one of the easiest chapters to write for now. Everything just flowed naturally and I finally got to advance on the plot. I have no idea how to write things like PTSD or depression so if anyone has tips, I'm open!
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr @lyxine and big thanks to @simic-simp on tumblr too for helping me out with all of this.


	7. Notebook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One tired planeswalker meets three others.

_ “Did you eat today?” _

“No.”

Leonardo put a loaf of bread in front of the exhausted planeswalker. She was half-asleep at the table, trying to stay awake and focus on her notes and drawings. Planeswalking twice a day to get the furniture from Alara had drained her physically. At least it allowed her to sleep soundly, without getting plagued by nightmares. Maybe not as enjoyable as some booze, but efficient at least.

“Thanks…”

She nibbled at the bread to please the shade, but didn’t do much more. At least Leonardo was understanding, and wouldn’t try to force feed her something like Tonio. Thankfully, he was too busy trying out the various recipes she had brought back from Alara. It was a good thing that during her absence, nothing in the shop went wrong and the shade gang was just enjoying the afterlife.

_ “You should take a break from your walking thing. You might be able to go far and retrieve what we need but what will you do if you’re too tired to do it, and you get stuck wherever you went?” _

“I don’t need your opinion Leo… I must bring these back.”

_ “Listen, there’s no reason to die over some furniture.” _

“I’m not dying” she said while folding her arms on the table. “I’m just tired.”

_ “Dying of exhaustion is far from pleasant.” _

“Hmmm… We’re a coffee shop. Coffee will delay that.” 

_ “Ana no.” _

A steaming cup of dark liquid was put in front of the ex-necromancer. 

“Thanks Berry. That’s very nice of you.” she said before taking a sip

_ “What grains did you use Berry?” _

_ “The overcooked ones. No sugar, no cream.” _

Liliana’s eyes widened when she tasted the bitter blend, and the shades saw her spit it out. She glared angrily at the smaller shade who seemed happy with her prank.

_ “You told me you needed something to wake you up.” _

“Not like that… Guess I should’ve asked for an espresso.” she sighed, burying her head in her arms.

_ “It’s ok, I’ll clean that”  _ said Leonardo.  _ “Go take a nap Ana.” _

“Once I’m done with this page, I will, I promise.”

_ “What’s that notebook even about? Wait… Shadecall?” _

“I… I don’t think I can feel at ease raising zombies. I’m working on summoning beings that make me at ease. Anyway, I just… Just want to finish studying this spell.”

The shades “said” nothing and phased through the ground. Liliana tore a good chunk of bread and focused on her notes. She could do it. She had already summoned shades by the past, but it had never been her field of expertise. Now was the time to change! 

* * *

“Wait here, I need to inspect the place first.” said Kaya “By the way, can you read the menu and tell me what’s good? Drinks are on me.”

The two planeswalkers behind her nodded and went to inspect said menu, as well as the rules, and quickly began to talk about their homeplanes’ respective drinks. Kaya smiled softly. It felt rather good to travel with companions, to not feel alone anymore. Silently, she stepped around the building and found herself in the garden. What had been just a little arrangement of crops had grown to become something akin to an orchard. Were Liliana and her shades always that good at gardening? The garden was empty, except for a handful of tools. Silently, she phased through the backdoor and looked for Liliana or the shades. She saw two in the kitchen, their backs turned, baking. Silently, she headed towards the stairs and went into the only room with the door closed. 

It was a humble bedroom, although there were some trinkets here and there. Nothing too valuable. There were the essential things, a bed, a closet and a small table, where some notebooks laid open. Skimming through the pages, Kaya saw mundane accounting stuff, as well as some notes on Alara and black magic. This was suspicious. Taking a closer look, she saw that the spell concerned shades, spirits and ghosts… Was Liliana planning on using the shade gang? Or did she have an ulterior motive? Why would she study all that concerned ghostly beings when she could raise dozens of zombies? She quietly went through the other Planeswalker's stuff, and found the luxurious purple dress, neatly folded and hidden under humbler clothes, more fitting for a nameless working lady. She didn't find the trademark ornament though. 

She found Liliana in the main room, sleeping on yet another notebook. Three shades phased through the ground and surrounded the intruder, but didn't do anything. They just hovered close. Were they the shades she had seen in the shop the first time she came there? Probably. One of them fetched a panel and wrote on it.

_ "Let her rest. We are closed. - Donatello" _

"I just want to talk to her."

_ "She needs her sleep. - The Accountant" _

Kaya advanced towards Liliana. The shades didn't try to hold her back. She gently took the notebook and the pen, then scribbled something. She went through the pages. There were various notes about healing magic, as well as spiritcalling. Yet, there were lots of drawings. The necromancer was no great artist but she could make quite realistic portraits. There was a white haired man, a raven haired knight, Gideon, an middle aged woman with a stern face and also Jace. She smiled when she saw a doodle of Nissa giving a peck to Chandra with flaming hair. The knight kept on coming around though.

The ghost assassin knew that when people slept, all masks fell. Tyvar slept like a log, his mind untroubled. Niko preferred to curl up and hug something, item or person, and his hands twitched in his sleep. Liliana's face didn't betray anything except exhaustion. And from the awkward position she was in, it was easy to deduce that she just fell asleep on the spot, without really wanting it. 

She gently shook the other Planeswalker awake.

"Ah! What? I'm not sleeping on the job!"

"Hello there." said Kaya, a smile on her face

"Kaya? You could've knocked you know?"

The necromancer had immediately adopted a calm tone, way less panicked than when she woke up. She still searched for her notebook though.

"You guys didn't wake me up? Why?"

_ "She is nice and didn't try to kill you."  _ Shrugged Donatello

"Urgh… We're closed but… Well Tonio kinda wants to show you how good he got at making coffee. Also how much of that did you read?"

"I… Have friends outside. Will you let them in?"

"Sure. Put that here I'll unlock the door. Take a seat. Accountant, go warn Tonio and Arno. Donatello, Michelangelo, tell the others that we have unexpected clients."

The shades nodded and spread out. 

"You sure seem to have the place running smoothly" said Kaya while unlocking the door

"The whole thing really belongs to the Shade gang. I'm just the human staff member." She said while scooping her stuff.

“Yeah. Hey you two, it’s open now!”

“Ah nice! I’ll take the strongest drink!” loudly said Tyvar

“I never thought that one of our first destinations would be a coffee shop. Do you think that if we win a dare, we get free stuff?” asked Niko

“No you don’t.” coldly answered Liliana.

“So you’re the one who runs the place? Alone?” asked the elf, this time with an inside voice

“Do you… See anyone else? Go take a seat, just not at that table. The name is Ana by the way, I’ll be the one to serve your drinks. Orders will be at the bar once ready.”

* * *

“So… Why do you have a poorly concealed dagger under your skirt? Also, why are you studying Shades?”

Liliana sighed while handing Kaya the drinks. Then took out the dagger and showed it to her.

“I needed new furniture, went off-world. Ran into cultists, killed them, after a human sacrifice. And I found out I couldn’t make zombies anymore. I don’t want to be helpless.”

“Fair enough. What do you plan to do with a dagger…”

“It’s for self-defense only. Don’t think I plan to run around stabbing people.”

The shade called Tonio let his head emerge from behind the counter. It slid some freshly baked pastries on it. With it there was a folded piece of paper. 

“Who’s the raven haired man?”

“Someone I cared about. Now go drink that. It’ll get cold. By the way, the furniture has been replaced because it wasn’t fireproof enough.”

“... You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

* * *

“So this is coffee?” 

“It’s bitter…” grumbled Tyvar before shoving a whole pastry in his mouth

“You’re the one who asked for the strongest drink.” said Kaya before sipping her drink

“Where are we going next?” asked Niko, slapping the elf’s hand that hovered above their pastry

“Well… The cultural shock of artifacts and such didn’t shake you that much right? So… What about a world that is brimming with artifacts and automatons? Also there are rich, lavish parties, you might enjoy these.”

* * *

“If you need training with that dagger of yours, go to… Wait what does she mean by ‘It might be useful’? I’m not a tool to be used!” 

But she had a debt. A debt she would never be able to repay. Besides, short term goals or missions would be better than whatever she’s living through now. May she die serving whatever righteous cause Kaya wants to fight for. It would be better than alcohol poisoning.

“... Fine. I’ll train with that damn knife.” sighed the Necromancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a small pause but I'm telling you, the plot is thickening. Thanks to @simic-simp and @susanfitzgrove on tumblr for their help on this chapter! If you want to yell at me, it's @lyxine on tumblr too!


	8. Willows' Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liliana takes Kaya's offer and goes back to Innistrad to train with her newfound dagger. It's ok, everyone is already batshit crazy on this world anyway

_ “Will you be gone for long?”  _ asked Berry

“Depends. But I’ll regularly come check on you. Please take care of the orchard.”

_ “What if clients come?” _ asked Donatello

“I’ve already given instructions to Leonardo. But to make it short, unless it’s Chandra or Kaya, you keep the door closed.”

Tonio said nothing but shoved slices of bread in Liliana’s hands. The necromancer sighed.

“I’m not going to starve Tonio, don’t worry.” she took a bite “Nuts? Tasty.”

_ “Will you be able to… Drink there?”  _ asked Arno  _ “I don’t have anything against you drinking a lot, and regularly. But if you go for too long without a drink it might actually be bad for your health.” _

“Withdrawal? Don’t worry about that. Where I’m going, I’ll surely be able to get a drink.”

* * *

Liliana had planeswalked directly inside the Erdwal, and regretted it almost immediately. She had gotten used to the hot Fioran sun. Even though she had lived for some time on the plane, she had never been that close to the sea or been inside the Erdwal! Stifling a sneeze, she followed the tunnel quietly, shovel in hand. She would look like a random graverobber or ghoulcaller, and most who dwelled within these places wouldn’t try anything against her. 

She emerged in Selhoff, as expected. It was where the geist and spirit population was the most important in Nephalia. Or at least there were enough spirits so cathars or inquisitors wouldn’t mind her… training.

“Dirty is a good beast. He’ll take you wherever you want, as long as you don’t get him killed.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you sure you don’t need a chariot?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Ah, a ghoulcaller then… Be careful, the Cecani siblings are at it again. Where are you heading to?”

“I’m-” she stopped. That was the shovel. “-You’re right. I’m heading to Willows’ Lake. You know where it is?”

“That’s a two days travel through the swamp… But you’re a ghoulcaller, you’ll be fine.”

The man was strangely confident in her abilities, but again, this was Innistrad. The place had always been crazy anyway, and with the brief Eldrazi incursion it hadn't made things any better. Securing the saddlebags, she thanked the man and led Dirty to the edge of town. She hadn’t ridden for years, especially on a living horse, but she quickly got her old habits back. 

* * *

It didn't take long for her to get ambushed. It was Innistrad after all. While she firmly refused to raise more zombies to fight the opportunistic ghoulcaller, she had nothing against using already resurrected corpses. And she had terrorized the poor necromancer enough that they fled to Serra knows where. She didn’t even need to get off her horse, that remained relatively calm throughout the whole thing… Although she dismounted soon after that incident, feeling her thighs and back becoming sore. She could spend hours in the orchard, doing physical labour, and not have her back on fire. Riding a horse though? She wasn’t used to that kind of exercise.

She stopped walking when the Moon got high in the sky. There was still the emblem that was binding Emrakul inside. It seemed that everywhere she went, she couldn’t run away from her feelings. There would always be a reminder. She tied Dirty’s reins to a tree, leaving the horse to feed himself. The man didn’t lie. It was a good beast.

Liliana sat on a rock, a loaf of bread in her hands. The geist-mist was low, but it was enough. Biting into the bread, she raised a hand and channeled mana into the mist. Shades and Specters were mostly made of black mana. Spirits could be partially made of black mana too, but were mostly made of white or blue mana. She knew that channeling black mana would call for mostly malicious geists, but it didn’t hurt to try. Maybe she could get a surprise and find a nice shade or specter.

_ “Fucking ghoulcaller! I’ll have your blood!”  _ growled the specter, that manifested along his horse

“I’m not a ghoulcaller. I called forth your specter, not your corpse. Otherwise you would be unable to voice your opinion.”

_ “What’s that shovel for?” _

“Are all of you that talkative?”

_ “First, most people don’t know how to hear and understand us specters. It’s quite surprising to have someone to talk to without having a one-sided conversation. I would have attacked you if you didn’t answer.” _

“Interesting. So you have something against ghoulcallers?”

_ “They fucking killed me! And my horse!” _

“That’s a valid reason to hate them” deadpanned Liliana “Anyway, is that the right road to Willows’ Lake?”

_ “Yeah. You’re on the right road. Did you only summon me to give you directions?” _

“Nope. I want you to wake me up if anything happens at night, I’m going to sleep. I’m knackered.”

_ “My name is Silas.” _

“Cool. Wake me up if anything unusual happens. I’m going to get my blanket and take a nap.”

_ “Hey hey wait! What if your magic runs out and I go back to the Nebelgast?” _

“Listen Silas, I know what I’m doing.”

_ “No you don’t!” _

Liliana was ready to dispel that specter and calling another one from the Nebelgast mist. But right now she was too tired to care. Travelling was great to feel exhausted and sleep soundly, safe of nightmares. She would return Silas to the Nebelgast after her nap.

* * *

In the end, she kept the Specter with her. He was providing company and had begun to tell her about a rather interesting story about a Stromkirk vampire who loved a stitcher. She didn’t spend a lot of time in Nephalia, at least not in the last decades. Technically how old was she now? She was more than two centuries old. If the Mending had happened roughly 60 years ago, that would make her… Roughly 220 years old. Was she already thinking like an old woman?

_ “So yeah… To make it short, that was fucked up.” _

“Well they killed each other. By the way, are we there yet?”

_ “If I remember correctly, we should be there in a few minutes. You can already see the willows. By the way, why do you want to visit a flooded ghost town? You’re searching for a certain Spirit?” _

“Excuse me what?”

_ “Yeah, when all of Innistrad went crazy, Willows’ Lake went into the lake. It’s a place where the Nebelgast doesn’t change with the tide. So, I figured that you wanted to use your powers there.” _

“I was searching for someone to train me. A… Friend’s acquaintance.”

Kaya’s specialty was spirits. She shouldn’t be surprised.

_ “You are already pretty good with spirits. You should have no trouble with finding them.” _

“Sure.”

Silently they strode into the remains of the village. It looked like the lake had swallowed the whole town, unannounced. There were no corpses left, probably taken by the crows, the beasts or the grave robbers. It was an empty place, that probably never was a graf. As soon as she dismounted, the mist above the lake rose and shapes began to emerge. Men, women, children, animals… All were curious about Silas and her. She calmed Dirty, who was mildly panicked, and cleared her throat.

“I’m searching for the one called Aramis Anzin! Are they still among you?” she asked loudly and clearly to the blurry shapes.

_ “A ghoulcaller… There’s nothing left for her here!” _

“I heard that! I can understand you all, you don’t need to possess me. Silas, can you tell them that I’m just searching for the person I just called?”

_ “I’m not your damn servant!”  _ riposted the specter

“Please? Who’s the one who provided you with conversation?”

_ “Fine. I’m not pleased though.” _

“I can offer to all of you, at least spiritually, the Blessed Rest you crave.”

_ “You heard her? Our wills are strong. It would take you an eternity to satisfy our wills so we can pass on.”  _ whispered a blue geist

_ “Wait… you can really grant us some kind of rest?” _ asked Silas

“I… I can’t avenge you. I have the power to dispel your wills so you don’t have to feel this pain and longing. In a way, it’s like dealing the finishing blow to a dying animal.”

_ “So sufferings can end.” _ finished the shade of a woman

“Exactly. I can’t take things without giving something back. All I want is to meet Aramis Anzin. I will try my best to find some kind of payment.”

She was cautious with business and deals now. Humans, or what remained of them, could be as vicious as a dragon or four demons. She had seen how the Orzhov dealt after all. She leaned on her shovel and looked at the assembly. If needed, she could take them all on, but she had learnt the hard way that murder wasn’t the only way.

_ “So you’re the one searching for me?”  _ said the white spirit of an old woman

“If you’re the person I called, yes. I came here on a recommendation. Kaya’s to be precise.”

The spirit said nothing, then turned to the assembly, minus Silas, who was still standing behind the necromancer. The specter was confused. He had just been a member of the Fauchard! Nothing as prestigious as one from the Church of Avacyn but Nephalia was different from Gavony or Stensia. If you were a Fauchard and had a horse, you were one who had survived a certain number of nights. He had seen many things, but an ex-ghoulcaller, he was sure that his “summoner” had been one, who was willing to cooperate with the spirits of the departed? That was a first.

_ “Kaya? I see. May I know your name, novice?” _

“Ana. Ana Iora.” the name sounded so foreign but it was the one she had chosen to hide with. “I came here to learn how to properly wield a dagger.”

The white spirit said nothing, then shooed the other ghosts away. The old woman seemed to smile and approached her. Silas took a step back. Liliana put one firm hand on the handle of her shovel and her other hand hovered over her dagger. She didn’t bother with concealing it here.

_ “What an interesting combination of weapons… Very well, I will ask you one thing in exchange for your apprenticeship.” _

“What is it?”

_ “I want you to avenge us. I want you to kill the demon Nardielf so our spirits may rest in peace. So I can rest in peace.” _

“Wait, a demon was the cause of… That?”

_ “And I want you to slay him singlehandedly. And so brutally that he’ll have to think twice before reincarnating near Willows’ Lake.” _

_ “Are you going to accept that offer? You can always withdraw you know?” _

“... I happen to know how to deal with demons. This time it’ll be different. Alright madam, teach me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a fucking streak and also.. Multi-chapter arc! Training arc! And more spirit stuff.


End file.
